Interchangeable lock casing



y 1970 R. M. RUTHERFORD 3,513,674

INTERCHANGEABLE LOCK CAS ING Filed'Feb. 28. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 26, 1970 R. M. RUTHERFORD 3,513,674

' INTERCHANGEABLE LOCK CASING Filed Feb. 28, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ROBERT M. RUTHERFORD lnven f ttorney United States Patent 3,513,674 INTERCHANGEABLE LOCK CASING Robert M. Rutherford, P.O. Box 8467, 501 General us. Cl. 70-451 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a casing for mortise door locks wherein a lock may be housed and retained in the casing without attachment to the door and the casing may be removably secured to the door by means of one side of the casing overlapping and engaging the exterior surface of one side of the door and an escutcheon plate removably attached to the-opposite side of the casing, overlappin and engaging the exterior surface of the door opposite that engagedby one side of the casing, and lock pins are fixedly attached to the casing to be inserted into corresponding grooves in the door, so that the casing is removably secured to the door without being attached by screws or other devices inserted into the door,with an adjustment means in the housing to adjust the lock in the horizontal plane.

My invention relates to a lock casing to be attached to doors. In particular it relates to a lock casing designed to house and reinforce any standard mortise lock mounted in a door.

In thepast there have been many attempts to provide suitable protection and adjustment features for mortise locks installed in doors. By and large these attempts have related to a specialized lock built within a particular housing to'be attached to a door in the usual mortise lock manner, i.e., by attaching the lock into the face of the door by screws inserted through the face plate of the lock. These devices have been quite complicated, they are not interchangeable and the locks must be built within the housing. Moreover, the devices are not adaptable for use with different types of mortise locks and they require specialized knowledge for their replacement and maintenance. In addition, devices of the prior art have not been interchangeable with dilferent standard type mortise locks, nor have they been replaceable on a particular door by simply removing the lock within its casing and inserting .a replacement.

It is well known that through continued use and adjustment, mortise locks sometimes get out of alignment so that the locking bolt will not properly engage the striking'plate on the door frame. Moreover, upon replacement of one lock with a new lock, adjustments of its alignment have to be made in order to allow the new lock to engage the striking plate. The complexity of present locks and their manner of installation in a door have rendered them susceptible to tampering and the installation of the lock usually weakens the door at the point of installation.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a lock casing having a solid unitary construction that is adaptable to receive any standard mortise lock and to provide a strong safe installation in a door.

It is a further object of the present invention to proice vide a lock case for housing a standard mortise lock whereby the entire lock and casing can be removed as a unit and replaced with a minimum of time and effort, requiring no specialized knowledge.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lock casing that may be installed without weakening the door, and which may be aligned with the striking plate on the door facing.

In general, my invention comprises a lock casing of solid unitary construction, designed to house a standard mortise lock, which can be installed in a door by merely removing the escutcheon plate and sliding the entire lock and easing into its seat in the door. The escutcheon plate is then replaced on the housing and the unit is secured in place. The locking bolt is aligned with the striking plate by action of a special worm gear within the lock housing.

Many further objects and novel features of my invention will appear as the same is better understood by the following specifications when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of my lock casing assembled with a standard mortise lock housed therein;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of my invention showing thevarious parts thereof and a standard mortise lock in position for being inserted into the case.

Referring now to my invention wherein like numerals refer to like parts, it will be seen that my lock casing 10 consists of only two parts, a housing 11 and an escutcheon 12. Escutcheon 12 is attached to one surface of housing 11 by means of stove bolts 15 which are inserted through aperatures 13 and secured in screw holes 14 in housing 11. Housing 11 consists of a metallic box-like member having appropriate aperatures for receiving the various parts of a mortise lock 20, to be hereinafter more particularly described. Locking pins 17 are affixed to the top and bottom portion of the housing 11 in the manner shown and adapted to align with corresponding grooves in a door into which the casing is to be mounted. Housing 11 has an overlapping edge 23 on three of its sides to engage the door in which housing 11 is to be inserted.

Escutcheon 12 also has three overlapping edges to engage the other side of the door so that the interaction of overlapping edges on the housing 11 and on escutcheon 12 along with locking pins 17 securely affix the lock and lock casing in the door to which the device is to be secured.

Elongated opening 18 in housing 11 is designed to receive any standard mortise lock 20. Recess 19 is provided in housing 11 so that face plate 21 of mortise lock 20 and cover plate 22 may be recessed therein. Mortise lock 20 is secured in housing 11 by screws 24 inserted through apertures 25 and screwed into screw holes 26. Cover plate 22 is secured over face plate 21 and within groove 19 by means of screws 27 which are inserted into screw holes 29 in face plate 21 through apertures 28. When mortise lock 20 is secured within housing 11 its lower rear corner is seated upon worm gear 16 so that any turning action of worm gear 16 will move lock 20 in the horizontal plane. Lock bolt 40 moves through aperature 41 and cover plate 22 to engage a striking plate on the door frame opposite the lock and door on which it is mounted.

Upon the insertion of mortise lock 20 into housing 11, lock cylinder is inserted into the housing through aperture 42 and secured in the lock by locking ring 31 and spring 32 in a manner well known to the art. A turn key 33 or any suitable lock actuating member is connected into lock 20 through key aperature 36 in escutcheon 12. Turn key 33 is secured in position by the interaction of cover plate 34 and a cotter key inserted through turn key 33 through cotter keyhole 39. Cover plate 34 is secured on escutcheon 12 by screws 35 which are secured into escutcheon 12.

In assembling my device, mortise lock 20 is first secured in housing 11 and lock cylinder 30 is connected thereto. Housing 11 is then inserted into the door frame with locking pins 17 being aligned with corresponding grooves cut into the door frame and perpendicular to the plane of the door. Turn key 33 is next assembled on escutcheon 12 in the manner I have previously described, and the entire unit is then secured to housing 11 by stove bolts 15 and turn key 33 is inserted into aperture 37 in lock 20. Once the device is assembled it may be removed only from the inside of the door by the removal of stove bolts 15. When these four bolts are removed the entire assembly can be removed from the door and either repaired or a replacement assembly installed.

It is apparent that once my device is assembled it becomes a strengthening feature of the door rather than a weak point as has been one of the problems with prior devices. Moreover, in the event the lock becomes damaged or needs maintenance it is only necessary that the lock casing be removed along with the lock housed therein and a new lock and casing attached to the door. Any alignment of the lock with the striking plate on the door frame can be made simply by turning worm gear 16. Since the casings may be manufactured of a standard size, it would not be necessary to adjust the lock in the vertical plane although such adjustment can be made simply by adjusting attachment screws 24 in face plate 21 in a well known manner.

One of the advantages of my lock casing over those of the prior art is that it is a simple, solid protection for the lock and it can be used with any standard mortise lock. Moreover, it is not necessary to cut entirely through the face of the door frame since my lock casing may be attached to a rectangular Opening in the edge of the door and the only hole through the edge of the door would be an aperture large enough for lock bolt 40 to protrude through in order to make contact with the striking plate. In the alternative, if desired, a rectangular slot could be cut entirely through the edge of the door in the usual manner since locking pins 17 and the overlapping edges of casing 10 would retain the lock casing in its position in the door.

My lock casing is adaptable for use with any standard mortise lock since it is designed to receive the lock within the housing and no special lock is constructed for use with the housing. I have provided a simple, solid, unitary lock casing for use with a standard mortise lock. My device is easy to maintain and replace and it presents a minimum of opportunity for tampering with the lock. The only access to the housing is from the inside of the door.

Obviously many modifications and variations of my invention are possible in the light of the above teachings.

What I claim is:

1. In a casing for housing a mortise lock and removably retaining it in lock recess within a door, the com bination comprising:

a housing having six sides with three having apertures therein for receiving the parts of a mortise lock so that the lock may be housed within the interior of the housing;

an escutcheon plate removably attached to one of said six sides of said housing with at least two edges which extend beyond the side of the housing to 4 which it is attached and overlap the lock recess and frictionally engage the exterior surface of one side of the door when the housing is in place; one of said six sides of said housing being opposite and parallel to the side to which said escutcheon plate is attached and having extended edges which overlap the lock recess in the door and frictionally engage the exterior surface of that side of the door opposite the side frictionally engaged by the extended edges of the escutcheon plate when the housing is in place; whereby the engagement of the extended edges of the escutcheon plate and the side of the housing with opposite exterior sides of the door retain the casing in the door; locking pin means aifixed to the top and bottom sides of the housing and protruding outwardly therefrom for removably retaining said housing in the lock recess in the door; and notch means formed within the interior surface of the lock recess in the door and perpendicular to the plane of the door which notch means are adjacent and correspond to said locking pin means for receiving said locking pin means when said housing is inserted in the lock recess in the door; whereby said locking pin means may be inserted into said notch means to removably retain said housing in said lock recess. 2. The combination as defined in claim 1, including: lock adjustment means within said housing operably connected to a mortise lock when positioned said housing for adjusting the alignment of the mortise lock within the housing. 3. The combination as defined in claim 2, wherein: said lock adjustment means comprises a worm gear rotatably secured within said housing, said worm gear including means adapted to engage a mortise lock enclosed within said housing and by the rotating action of said gear alter the alignment of the lock in the horizontal plane. 4. In a casing for removably securing a mortise lock in a lock recess in a door, the combination comprising: a housing, having six sides, three of which have an aperature therein for receiving parts of a mortise lock and one of which has extended edges which overlap the lock recess in the door and overlap and frictionally engage the exterior of one side of the door; an escutcheon plate adapted to be removably attached to that one of said six sides of said housing parallel to and opposite that side which has edges overlapping the lock recess in the housing to frictionally engage the exterior surface of that side of the door opposite the side frictionally engaged by the extended edges of the housing; locking pin means fixedly attached to the upper and lower sides of said housing and protruding outwardly therefrom for removably retaining said housing in the lock recess in the door; notch means formed within the interior surface of the lock recess in the door and perpendicular to the plane of the door adjacent and corresponding to said locking pin means for receiving said locking pin means when said housing is inserted in said lock recess in said door; whereby the casing and the mortise lock therein are removably secured within the door solely by the co-operative action of the extended sides of the housing, the escutcheon plate, and the locking pin means and the notch means. 5. The invention as defined in claim 4, including: lock adjustment means within said housing for adjusting the alignment of a mortise lock in the horizontal plane when the housing is affixed to the door; said lock adjustment means comprising a worm gear rotatably secured within said housing, said worm gear including means adapted to engage a mortise lock enclosed within said housing and by the rotation action of said gear alter the alignment of the lock in the horizontal plane.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 537,778 4/1895 Kelley 29273 571,027 11/1896 Taylor 70 44s 10 6 1,423,825 7/ 1922 Anderson 7045 1 2,263,772 11/ 1941 Gold et al. 7045 1 2,921,461 1/ 1960 Schlage 7045 1 RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner R. L. WOLFE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 70-452; 292337 

